Chapter 138: Body Refining Breakthrough
"As expected of the true central region. There’s so much Spirit Medicine!"
Once out of the other Cultivators’ sight, Zhang Chi still chose not to fly, opting to travel on foot through the mountain forest instead.
Although this was a bit slower, it kept him closer to the ground, making it easier to discover valuable Spirit Medicine.
Besides, the Demon Beasts and Explorers here were definitely stronger. Even he had to be more cautious.
He could fly in the outer areas, but doing so here would definitely make him a living target.
And just as he’d hoped, the area did not disappoint. He soon discovered some Tier Two Spirit Medicines, some of which were even at the Tier Two Peak.
At the same time, he also encountered some Demon Beasts, which were equally strong.
However, his Divine Thought was powerful, often allowing him to detect them in advance and directly avoid any at the Tier Two Peak.
As for those at the Tier Two Late Stage, it depended on the situation.
If there was valuable Spirit Medicine near one, or if the materials from its body were particularly precious, he would ambush and kill it.
Otherwise, he would avoid them to prevent wasting time.
’Huh? Is that a Dragon’s Blood Ginseng?’
Three days passed in this manner. On this day, Zhang Chi suddenly stopped near the lair of a Tier Two Peak Demon Beast.
The Demon Beast was a giant golden python, seventeen or eighteen zhang long, coiled up in a small valley. Any passing birds would be inhaled directly into its stomach.
Behind the giant python was a cave, from which an astonishing Spirit Medicine aura emanated.
Zhang Chi swept the area with his powerful Divine Thought and immediately discovered a Tier Two Peak Spirit Medicine.
This Spirit Medicine was rather special; it was one of the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that could help with a Body Refining breakthrough.
If he could obtain this Spirit Medicine, his Celestial Net Evil Body, which was already on the verge of advancing, might be able to break through directly to the Tier Two Late Stage.
At that time, his Combat Power would surely increase tremendously.
For instance, against the Three-headed Puppet, he would be able to completely dominate it. It wouldn’t be like before, where he only seemed to have a slight advantage due to the element of surprise, while his arms actually went numb from the recoil.
With that, Zhang Chi immediately decided to take the risk.
First, he had his Spirit Snake stand guard in the surroundings. Then he chose a spot, and with a wave of his hand, eight Array Flags flew out, instantly setting up the Thousand Illusions Locking Array.
Then, with a command from his mind, a Spirit Snake vibrated its wings and dived toward the valley where the golden Demon Python resided.
PUFF!
Just as it was about to enter the Demon Python’s attack range, the Spirit Snake suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a large cloud of venomous black gas.
Afterward, the Spirit Snake returned to the sky above.
The Demon Python was startled, but it opened its mouth and unleashed a wild gale, blowing all of the Spirit Snake’s poisonous breath away.
It then roared a few times at the Spirit Snake before ignoring it.
But under Zhang Chi’s command, the Spirit Snake continued to harass it with sneak attacks.
After this was repeated more than ten times, following another one of the Spirit Snake’s sneak attacks and retreats, the Demon Python finally couldn’t take it anymore. It roared and gave chase, as fast as lightning.
Although it had no wings, a demonic wind swirled around its body, allowing it to fly just like a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and at an extremely fast speed.
Fortunately, the Spirit Snake had wings, so its speed was comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator. It successfully reached the spot where Zhang Chi had set up the array before being caught, and then it dove straight down.
The furious Demon Python followed without hesitation, but in the next moment, the space around it suddenly trembled. The Demon Python was trapped inside the array, caught in a vast, swirling mist.
The Demon Python was both shocked and enraged. But no matter how it lunged and thrashed about within the array, it couldn’t escape and could only spin around in place.
However, this Demon Python was no pushover. It continuously inhaled and exhaled violently, and the resulting blasts of air made the array tremble ceaselessly.
At the same time, its long tail lashed out violently, nearly striking the hidden Array Flags several times.
Fortunately, after completing its mission, the Spirit Snake had immediately exited the Illusion Array. The Illusion Array also isolated the auras within from the outside; otherwise, a single blow would have been enough to kill the Spirit Snake on the spot.
’A Tier Two Peak Demon Python is truly formidable. Good thing I don’t necessarily have to kill it!’
Zhang Chi had originally intended to take this opportunity to besiege and kill the Demon Python, but seeing the situation, he decisively made a different choice. He used all his power to cast the Blood Escape Technique, transforming into a streak of blood-red light and charging toward the Demon Python’s lair with incredible speed.
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Chi was inside the cave in the valley. With a single glance, he saw more than ten different kinds of Spirit Medicine.
Among them was not only the Dragon’s Blood Ginseng; the others were also Tier Two Peak, all of them incredibly valuable.
Clearly, the Demon Python had gained sentience. It had been saving these Spirit Medicines for itself, making this the equivalent of a Cultivator’s medicinal garden.
Without hesitating, Zhang Chi quickly harvested the Spirit Medicines. Then he cast the Blood Escape Technique again, fleeing the valley like a bolt of lightning.
BOOM!
Just then, an Array Flag within the Thousand Illusions Locking Array was finally struck and shattered on the spot. The entire Illusion Array dissipated along with it.
The Demon Python let out an enraged roar and immediately flew back to the valley, having clearly sensed that its Spirit Medicines were gone.
But unfortunately for it, by the time it returned, Zhang Chi was already long gone. He had even used the small window of time to retrieve his remaining Array Flags. He then continued his Blood Escape, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
The Demon Python chased in a circle around its lair but couldn’t even find a trace of Zhang Chi’s shadow. It could only roar in fury, flattening the surrounding mountain forest.
’Not bad. Even though one Array Flag was destroyed, I can repair it myself. And my gains far outweigh the loss.’
Meanwhile, Zhang Chi finally stopped in a patch of woods and set up an array once more.
Apparently, he had spare Array Flags, so even with one destroyed, it didn’t affect him at all.
Next, inside the array, he took out the Dragon’s Blood Ginseng to examine it closely.
The Dragon’s Blood Ginseng was shaped like an ordinary ginseng, but it emitted an astonishing amount of Spiritual Qi. Its surface shimmered with a Spiritual Light, and its inside was the color of blood. It was a powerful tonic for Blood Qi, even for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and was miraculously effective for Body Refining breakthroughs.
The reason it was called Dragon’s Blood Ginseng was because this Spirit Medicine was formed when an ordinary Spirit Ginseng grew near the lair of a Demon Snake or Demon Python and mutated after absorbing the creature’s aura over a long period.
Creatures like Demon Snakes and Demon Pythons are euphemistically referred to as "dragons," which is how the medicine got its name.
The Dragon’s Blood Ginseng that Zhang Chi had obtained, while at the Tier Two Peak, had an age already approaching the three-hundred-year limit for this type of medicine, making it a Top Grade specimen.
Zhang Chi surmised that if he had arrived a few years later, the Spirit Medicine would have fully matured. At that point, it would have surely been devoured by the Demon Python, and he would have missed his chance.
Next, Zhang Chi immediately began to process the Dragon’s Blood Ginseng. Afterward, he took the prepared ginseng and swallowed it in a few bites.
In truth, the ginseng could have been used for Alchemy, which would have been more effective. However, Zhang Chi didn’t have enough supplementary medicines on him, nor did he have that much time to spare.
Fortunately, consuming it directly was also effective.
An ordinary Cultivator might not be able to withstand the Medicinal Power, as well as the Demonic Qi it contained.
But Zhang Chi was completely unaffected.
After the Spirit Ginseng went down, Zhang Chi’s entire body became scorching hot and his skin turned crimson, with waves of heat rising from it. He immediately took a deep breath of Corpse Evil and Demon Fiend, assumed a stance, and began to cultivate the Celestial Net Evil Body Technique.
BANG!
Soon, Zhang Chi heard a loud bang, as if some kind of barrier had been shattered.
The two layers of Celestial Net Gang Force on his body instantly appeared, both significantly stronger than before.
At the same time, Zhang Chi discovered that his strength and defense had both broken through a limit, reaching an entirely new Realm.
Although it was just a small step, it had directly increased his Combat Power several times over.
Furthermore, even the quality of his Divine Soul and Spiritual Power was affected, showing a remarkable improvement.
His Meridians and Dantian could now accommodate more Spiritual Power, and his future Cultivation would be much faster as a result.
Without a doubt, with the help of the Dragon’s Blood Ginseng, his Body Refining Cultivation had finally and officially broken through to the Tier Two Late Stage.